Rebecca Q.'s blog

New car seat laws went into effect January 1, 2012.

All children under 8 years of age or under 4'9" in height need to ride in the back seat in a car seat or a booster. Most children will need to be in a booster seat until they are 10 or 11.

Acetaminophen is a commonly used medication in children and infants. It is typically given to reduce fever or to relieve pain.

Currently, acetaminophen (Tylenol, Little Fevers, Pedia Care, and others) is available in two concentrations. The children’s version has 160 mg per 5 ml. More concentrated infant versions are also available with concentrations of 80 mg per 0.8 ml or 80 mg per 1 ml.

Earlier, I shared an article on the importance of safe sleep environments for infants. First Five Santa Clara County, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, has just announced a new Safe Sleep Awareness Campaign.

To read more about the campaign and to find resources for safe sleep, visit http://www.first5kids.org/safesleep.

Hello everyone.

Two physicians on Santa Clara County’s Child Death Review Team recently wrote an article for the Mercury News about the importance of safe sleeping practices. I’ve included the article below or you can view it at: http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_19451069.

We are entering into flu season. Starting last year, flu vaccines have been recommended for nearly everyone over 6 months of age. It is especially important for some groups to get the flu vaccine. These include pregnant women, children under 5 and especially those under 2, people over 50 years old, people with some chronic medical conditions, and those who care for people at higher risk for the flu. That includes people who care for or live with infants under 6 months who are too young for the vaccine.

Fire prevention week

This week is fire prevention week. Here are some tips to help protect your family and home from fire.

Install smoke alarms – install smoke alarms at each level of the house, outside sleeping areas, and inside bedrooms. Test the batteries once a month. Make sure children know what the smoke alarm will sound like if it goes off.

Cook safely – stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on what you are cooking.

Many of you may have heard of the ongoing outbreak of listeriosis associated with cantaloupe. So far, there has only been one case in California, but it is likely that more cases will be found as public health officials continue to investigate.

Head lice can be itchy, uncomfortable, and a nuisance, but fortunately they are not a serious health concern. There are a lot of misperceptions about head lice; here are some facts.

Sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for children and adults. Sleep does more than helping us to feel rested. Sleep is important in muscle repair and the release of hormones that control things like growth and hunger. Sleep helps us to form memories, to concentrate, and to make decisions. Sleep is important in keeping our immune system working - if we don't get enough sleep we are more likely to get sick. Not getting enough sleep may also put a person at risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression.

Summer is in full swing now, and that means that things are heating up. Here are some steps you can take to keep your family safe on hot days.

Exposure to too much heat can be dangerous for anyone. Children, older people, and people with mental illness and chronic illness are at increased risk.

Hot weather can cause a range of health concerns, from minor irritations to life threatening emergencies.

There has been a lot of news coverage of natural disasters over the last several months. Disasters like earthquakes, fires, and floods can be frightening and can cause damage and distress for those who experience them. Fortunately, there are steps we can all take to help prepare for natural disasters.

Having a plan and some basic supplies can help your family get through a disaster.

Every summer local health departments and other organizations lead campaigns to encourage children and adults to choose healthy drinks. They focus on themes such as “Rethink Your Drink” “Soda Free Summer” and “Be Sugar Savvy.” These campaigns aim not only to decrease consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, but also to increase knowledge about healthy food and drink choices.

As part of our NAEYC accreditation we have nutritionist look over our snack and lunch menus two times each year. We send her information about our menus and portion sizes and she uses nutritional software to help her analyze the food. This takes into account how often items from each food group and specific nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. We then use her recommendations to consider and make changes to our snack choices.

May 8-14 is food allergy awareness week. I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a little about food allergies and remind you about our food allergy policies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued new recommendations for car seat use.

It is now recommended to keep children in rear facing car seats until they are two years of age or until they outgrow the weight and height limits of their seats. This means children will be staying in rear facing child seats longer than was previously recommended.

We all know that poisons are substances that are harmful to the body. They can enter our bodies through our mouths if we eat or drink them, through our lungs if we breathe them in, or through our skin if we touch them.

People of any age can be hurt by poisons, but children are especially vulnerable. Children are curious and are great explorers. If something is in their reach, they may try to learn about it by opening it, smelling it, or even tasting it. Because of this, it is important to make sure to keep poisons where children will not be able to reach them.

This essay, written by National Institute for Play Director Stuart Brown, M.D. highlights the importance of play, not only for social, emotional, and academic growth, but for our health and well-being. He also reminds us that play is not just for children – adults can benefit from getting out and playing as well.

As many of you know, we have a nutritionist who works with us. Twice a year we give her the menus of what children are eating here for snacks and hot lunches, and she gives us recommendations and ideas for improving our nutrition program. One thing we have heard from our nutritionist consistently is the importance of variety in children’s diets. This not only is important for good nutrition, but helps develop healthy lifelong eating habits.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently passed new rules about cribs and crib manufacturing. One of the key elements of the new rules is that drop side cribs will no longer be allowed. New cribs will also have stronger mattress supports and more durable hardware. There will also be more rigorous safety testing.

These regulations are set to go into effect in June 2011. At that point, all cribs sold will need to meet the new standards.

I have had several interesting health-related articles shared with me recently and I thought I would continue the sharing and pass them along to you.

The first one is a New York Times article by a pediatrician that discusses fevers. The pediatrician shares research and perspectives on treating fevers, fears surrounding fevers, and the potential benefits of fevers in fighting illness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/health/11klass.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=feve...

We’ve had some questions come up about foods that are considered choking risks for young children. A choking incident can be frightening for everyone involved and can lead to serious health consequences or even death. In order to reduce the risk of this, there are steps you can take to help us protect the children.

Happy New Year!

Every year the American Academy of Pediatrics puts out a list of New Year’s resolutions for children of all ages (and adults may benefit from some of them as well!).

As we head further into cold and flu season, it can be very tempting to reach for cold and cough medicine to ease children’s cold symptoms. However, many products are no longer considered safe for young children. Even those that are safe only treat the symptoms, they don’t “cure” or shorten the length of the cold or cough.

Food safety is important all year, but I thought I would use the focus on cooking that goes with Thanksgiving to highlight some steps we can take to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

As we head into winter, we also head into cold and flu season. Last year we saw the spread of the pandemic flu strain, influenza A H1N1 (also called swine flu). It made for an unusual and stressful flu season that started in the spring, continued through the summer, and fortunately seemed to quiet down earlier this year. But even without the introduction of a new pandemic strain, each flu season is unique and unpredictable.